AccelerateHS/accelerate

Object file loading on Windows

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#395 opened on Aug 23, 2017

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help wantedllvm-cpuwindows

Description

The CPU backend is currently broken on windows because it lacks an object file loader (here).

This is the same as what GHCi does, but a bit simpler because we only need to handle the most basic types of relocations etc. Unfortunately we can't use that one due to GHC#13624 (unless that does not affect windows, but I doubt it)

Any windows hackers interested in writing one? @RyanGlScott

Contributor guide

Tech stack
None
Domain
backend
Issue type
bug
DifficultyEstimated implementation difficulty for a new contributor, from 1 for very small changes to 5 for expert-level work.
5
Estimated timeA rough time range for an experienced contributor to investigate, implement, test, and prepare a pull request.
over 1 week
Activity statusHow available the issue appears right now: fresh, active, stale, blocked, or waiting on maintainer input.
stale
ClarityHow clearly the issue explains the expected change, acceptance criteria, and next step.
clear
Prerequisites
Haskell programmingLLVM backend internalsWindows COFF object file formatUnderstanding of relocations
Newbie friendlinessA 1-100 score estimating how approachable this issue is for first-time contributors.
10
Research direction
The primary file to modify is Data/Array/Accelerate/LLVM/Native/Link/COFF.hs (https://github.com/AccelerateHS/accelerate llvm/blob/master/accelerate llvm native/Data/Array/Accelerate/LLVM/Native/Link/COFF.hs). The issue requires implementing a COFF object file loader for Windows, similar to GHCi's loader but simpler. A known related issue is GHC#13624 which may affect the approach. Research should focus on Windows COFF format and relocations. The maintainer has expressed interest in a Windows hacker contributing.